Lok Satta Party State Working President D V V S Varma on Friday welcomed the Medical Council of India’s decision to conduct a National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) for under-graduate medical education.

“A common examination will not merely improve standards of education but also enable more Andhra Pradesh students to get medical seats in the country,” Varma said. He recalled that the Supreme Court had suggested 27 years ago that 15 percent of seats in medical colleges all over the country be set apart for a national pool and they be filled based on an all-India common test. Andhra and Jammu Kashmir, however, chose not to set apart 15 percent of their seats for the national pool.

Varma pointed out that the standards of Andhra Pradesh students appearing for all competitive examinations like the JEE for IIT admission have always been higher. Andhra Pradesh students gain more seats than their share in the population. The intense demand for seats in professional colleges and the sprouting of institutions to coach students account for their sterling performance.

Yet, Andhra Pradesh students have not been able to get admission in medical colleges outside the State as the State would not allot seats to outside students based on the common entrance test.

Varma said that the State Government should ensure that the entrance exam is held in Telugu also so that students who complete Intermediate in the Telugu medium do not suffer. He also suggested that technical terms used in question papers conform to those used in Telugu Academy textbooks. A committee of experts from the Telugu Academy and the Intermediate Board should be constituted to hold talks with the authority which is to conduct the common examination.

Varma said that a standardized admission would help improve the quality of higher education. Insular and parochial approach should give way to a national approach gradually. (INN)

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